When people eat cruciferous vegetables like kale, broccoli, or collard greens, they are eating a substance called glucobrassicin. When these vegetables are chewed, cut, or cooked, the glucobrassicin is broken down to indole-3-carbinol (I3C). The following digestion of I3C produces a compound called 3,3’-diindolylmethane or DIM for short.  

DIM has been extensively studied by scientists who want to better understand its benefits on the body, specifically regarding how they affect male hormones. 

Some researchers have claimed that DIM helps increase free-testosterone levels by reducing and blocking estrogen and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG). For that reason, making an effort to ingest I3C through cruciferous vegetables could be a good way to go for higher testosterone levels.

Like I said above, I3C blocks estrogen, which is huge if you want to maintain healthy testosterone. The reason is because, nowadays, estrogen is found in almost every product we consume. It can be in air fresheners, laundry detergent, non-organic fruit, plastic bottles, and many other places — even drinking water and toilet paper. And these environmental estrogens have a devastating effect on testosterone. 

The good news is, I3C is a natural way to solve that problem. 

Indole-3-Carbinol, DIM, Estrogen, and the Big T

There is some evidence from multiple university-backed studies that suggest DIM or I3C increases testosterone by decreasing estrogen. Here’s how it works:

DIM is known to help boost estrogen metabolism through the liver, which basically means it flushes excess estrogen out of the body through this organ. 

Also, researchers from Taipei Medical University found after directly injecting I3C in animals with similar DNA to humans, there was a decrease in body weight and fat accumulation and improved glucose tolerance. All three of these factors, if left unchecked, cause estrogen levels to increase in men. So it’s impressive that I3C tackles them all at once and prevents estrogen dominance in that way.

Plus, I3C upregulates the CYP1A2 enzyme, which converts strong estrogen into a weaker version of itself so it has less of an influence on body chemistry in men. 

Another study, from the Institute of Hormone Research in New York, concluded that the oral consumption of I3C, increases the amount of estrogen that passes through the urine on its way out of the body. All the types of estrogen like estradiol, estrone, estriol, and 16alpha-hydroxyestrone, were lower after I3C treatment.

Now, the popular belief is that DIM works as well as I3C because DIM is a byproduct of the indole-3-carbinol. It’s not a far-fetched idea. But it’s not completely true either. 13C is actually superior to DIM.

An animal study from the Department of Pharmacology at the University of Kansas Medical Center, found that after groups of animals were dosed with I3C, tamoxifen, and DIM respectably, the results were in favor of I3C. The group given DIM didn’t show any antiestrogenic effect even at the highest dose. The group dosed with I3C and tamoxifen did have an antiestrogenic effect. 

Other research from the University of California-Berkeley, suggested that DIM can have “antiproliferative and antiandrogenic properties” in prostate cells. A property that is not attributed to I3C.

After all this evidence, it follows that I3C consumption may be more effective than taking pure DIM supplements. Ingesting I3C supplements or cruciferous vegetables may help you keep balanced levels of estrogen, which in turn, helps level up your testosterone.

Conclusion

Like I said earlier, one of the best ways to get I3C into your diet is to eat more cruciferous vegetables. 

But here’s the deal. Eating enough cruciferous vegetables to get the amount of I3C necessary to block estrogen, flush it out of your body, and boost testosterone, can be challenging. 

That’s why I added I3C into Man Boost… 

A completely natural and powerful supplement that helps block estrogen, boost testosterone levels, and improve overall health. It has four ingredients including the rarest and most effective form of, indole-3-carbinol — in it’s proven dosage. (You can check out the other 3 ingredients HERE.)  

So if you want to get all the benefits of I3C that I mentioned in this article, flush excess estrogen out of your body, while boosting testosterone to new heights…  

Check out Man Boost for yourself by clicking here. 

You’ll be glad you did.